The doctor from the Ministry of Revenue who was kneeling below broke out in sweat and his fat body was trembling when he heard what Zhao Yuantan said.
He replied tremblingly, "I heard there were pirates somewhere, and the people on the boat couldn't defeat them, so they succeeded."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuantan's anger intensified, and he pointed at the position of the Ministry of Revenue doctor and said:
"These escorts are all my best men. Prepare to be defeated by a group of leaderless pirates. Is your brain blocked by your flesh?"
"But...but if it was premeditated, then..."
Everyone in the study understood the unspoken meaning of the words. Wu Ming, as Zhao Yuantan's most trusted disciple, reminded him:
"Since His Majesty favors Your Highness now, what difference does it make if it's earlier or later? As long as Your Highness can communicate clearly with the imperial concubine in the palace, everything else will be fine."
Zhao Yuantan did not make a quick decision on Wu Ming's proposal.
His thoughts were soon interrupted by an anxious voice outside the door, "Your Highness, there is an urgent matter to report!"
The sound immediately made everyone in the study nervous. If something unexpected happened now, they might have to take some risky measures.
Sometimes, what you fear really comes true. Zhao Yuantan said calmly, "Go in."
The person who came in didn't even dare to raise his head, and saw two people kneeling on the ground, sweating profusely. He felt even more nervous because what he brought was not good news.
For a moment, the study was completely silent. He seemed to be able to hear only the sound of his own heartbeat, and the scene before him began to become psychedelic.
"explain!"
A serious voice suddenly rang out in the space, and the visitor quickly knelt on the ground, speaking in a trembling voice.
"I heard...I heard that the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture was arrested and imprisoned just now. It's said that he was involved in the frame-up of the former crown prince. And...there are rumors that many people were involved, and it's mentioned that the Minister of Personnel was also involved...involved. There are also rumors outside that...the person behind this is...is...is His Highness."
After saying this last sentence, the man almost pressed his face against the ground, and his whole body curled up into a small ball as if he had stopped breathing.
When the others heard what the visitor said, they all wished they could disappear into the air. Is this something they could hear?
However, Zhao Yuantan only felt that a large force was attacking him. If he made the wrong decision at this moment, he would be doomed.
At this moment, what Wu Ming had just said immediately rang in his ears. He absolutely could not sit there and wait for death.
If he is allowed to do so, he will be the next crown prince.
So he whispered, "Wu Ming stays, and the others leave."
Except for the person who just entered the room, everyone else in the study heard what Wu Ming said before. Their hearts tightened instantly, but at the same time they felt a little happy.
Once this matter succeeds, he will have the merit of following the emperor, and high positions and generous salaries will come to him in the future. At the same time, he also has great confidence in Zhao Yuantan.
He left quickly, leaving the study space for the two of them.
At this time, not only the Third Prince's Mansion was preparing, but Zhao Yuanyou and Yan Xu had also made sufficient preparations. Now it depended on when Zhao Yuantan would fall into their trap.
It would not be an exaggeration to describe Shengjing as a place of panic at this time. Shen Jia also used the last incident as an excuse to temporarily close all the shops and gather all the people in two places. The Shen Mansion has also been on high alert recently, for fear that someone would attack her.
She still has some keen perception. Now it depends on who wins and who loses. They just need to wait for the result.
Chen Ci still went to the Hanlin Academy to serve as a reader regardless of the weather. The turmoil in the court seemed to have no impact on him, but he didn't know that the court today was very turbulent.
The former subordinates of the deposed prince submitted a memorial, and all the rumors and evidence pointed to Zhao Yuantan. Everyone standing in the court wished they had claimed illness and not come this morning, and could only look at the small space under their feet.
Anyway, he is now the deposed crown prince and is disabled, so he is not a threat at all. Zhao Yuantan is not worried at all that the emperor will do anything to him. At most, he will just scold him a few words and deduct his salary.
But if the situation continues, he can't guarantee how long his immunity from death will last.
As expected, the emperor did not deal with the matter on the spot and chose to keep it without issuing it.
The next day, news spread that the emperor was seriously ill. Although the emperor had often had health problems in recent years, this was the first time that his condition was so serious that he could not attend court.
This also made the situation in Shengjing tense again, and everyone was in danger.
Later, the imperial concubine was ill and the third prince, Prince Chu, was the regent. The news released made everyone even more terrified.
This signal is great news for some people, but for others, it is like a death sentence.
The Fourth Prince refused to believe in evil, and in the name of visiting his father, he walked all the way to Yuantai Palace where His Majesty was recuperating, and said to the people waiting outside the door:
"Eunuch Li, I have come to visit my father. Please come in and inform him."
Eunuch Li, who was stopped by him, remained calm, bowing his head and bending at a 90-degree angle. He replied coldly, "The Emperor has ordered that only the Imperial Concubine is allowed to enter the inner chambers to attend to the sick, and the Third Prince is allowed to enter to report on important matters of state. I also ask that the Fourth Prince not embarrass this servant."
Because he was the godson of the emperor's capable eunuch, the Fourth Prince really had no way to deal with him for a while.
But not allowing him to see his father would be equivalent to letting him die. How could the Fourth Prince be willing to return empty-handed? He just stood in the courtyard and shouted.
"Father, Father, Yuner has come to visit, please allow me in!"
The next second, the tightly closed door was opened by the Third Prince. Zhao Yuantan looked at the Fourth Prince with anger and shouted, "Father is recuperating from illness. Are you disobeying the Emperor's orders by making such a loud noise?"
The Fourth Prince Zhao Yuanyun was not easily frightened. This matter concerned his own life, and there was no way he could let it go easily.
"Since the emperor is ill, I, as a prince, should be by his side. It would be against the rules for only my third brother and your mother, the Imperial Concubine, to serve by his side."
"This is the emperor's order, and I, Third Brother, cannot change it."
"Third brother doesn't have the final say now. If I can't see my father again, I don't know what I will do."
"How dare you! Capture him! The Fourth Prince has disobeyed the Emperor's order and must be expelled from the palace immediately!"
The guards in Yuantai Palace immediately arrested Zhao Yuanyun, who immediately shouted, "You can't touch this prince. My third brother is just a prince, and you actually obeyed his orders. Are you planning a rebellion?"
At the same time, many princes suddenly walked in from behind and questioned the third prince standing in the front:
"Fourth brother is right. Third brother, you are too overbearing. We all want to visit the emperor today. You should at least let us know about his condition. How can we convince everyone by only listening to you?"
A group of princes stood together and forced Zhao Yuantan to give an explanation. The posture was quite scary. The guards who had originally held the fourth prince's hand quickly let go and stood on both sides.
Zhao Yuantan knew that if he continued to stop them today, it would only ruin his plan. At the same time, he also decided to speed up the implementation of the plan again. He pretended to be helpless and said:
"For the sake of our father's health, only one person is allowed inside each day to attend to the sick. Today, I'll start with my fourth brother."
Zhao Yuanyun, who was allowed to enter, immediately walked into the hall with his head held high and chest puffed out. He saw the emperor sleeping unconscious on the bed, with the imperial concubine sitting beside him, looking haggard.
Facing the Fourth Prince who had entered the palace aggressively, he was furious and asked, "Your Majesty is not in good health, and you are making a fuss outside. What do you want to do?"
"I simply wish to show my filial respect and serve you. Your Majesty has been staying in Yuantai Palace for many days and must be in poor health. Today, I will serve my father."
The imperial concubine glanced at Zhao Yuantan's position from the side. Zhao Yuantan nodded slightly, but Zhao Yuanyun did not notice the murderous intent in his eyes at all.
His mind is now focused on the emperor, which really doesn't look good. If he continues like this, he will be at the mercy of others, and he must find a way to survive.
Li Guifei supported the maid beside her with one hand and pretended to be exhausted and replied: "Since the Fourth Prince wants to serve the Emperor alone, then I will go back first."
Zhao Yuantan also left with Concubine Li. When the Fourth Prince was the only one left in the palace, he began to feel something was wrong. The next morning, he left alone without telling anyone.
Zhao Yuanyun's departure means that if the fifth prince Zhao Yuanyou is the one taking care of the patient today, Zhao Yuanyou would be going to the tiger mountain even though he knows there is a tiger there.
He bowed respectfully to Zhao Yuantan, and then entered the palace to serve. Today, the guards of Yuantai Palace were stricter than yesterday. Zhao Yuanyou kept turning the jade beads in his hand, hoping that Yan Xu could come earlier.
Late at night, Zhao Yuanyou was awakened by the sound of footsteps above his head. He quickly poured today's medicine into the emperor's mouth, then pretended to be tired and half-leaned on the couch.
"Boom!"
The originally tightly closed palace door was kicked open, and Zhao Yuanyou woke up from his "dream". He looked at the group of people who broke into the palace with sleepy eyes. When no one was paying attention, the emperor's eyelids on the bed trembled slightly.
Zhao Yuantan snorted coldly, looked at the bewildered Zhao Yuanyou, and asked, "Fifth brother, did you sleep well?"
"If Third Brother shows concern tomorrow morning, I'll probably sleep better."
"I advise you not to be too awake, otherwise it will be too painful if you cut it."
Then the guards behind him immediately stood up, drew the swords at their waists, and walked towards where Zhao Yuanyou was. For a moment, the hall was filled with murderous aura.
The corners of Zhao Yuanyou's mouth curled up slightly, "Third brother, you are still too anxious."
Before he could finish his words, four swords immediately attacked him. He quickly closed the fan in his hand to block the attack.
Seeing that Zhao Yuanyou still had the ability to resist, Zhao Yuantan immediately waved to the people behind him, and the four against one became sixteen against one.
Zhao Yuanyou was gradually defeated and scars appeared on his body. His clothes were tattered. Just when he was about to be hit on the right shoulder, a stone hit the sword and deviated from its original trajectory. Zhao Yuanyou cut his throat with a fan and killed him.
Faced with this situation, he said with a smile: "If you don't come, I will become a ghost under the sword. I wonder why you are coming back?"
Late at night, not only was Yuantai Palace filled with murderous aura, but the sleeping Shen Jia was also awakened by the sound of swords clashing.
Shen Jia, who was already wearing casual clothes, immediately stood up, picked up the long whip under her pillow and walked towards the door. Sure enough, many men in black appeared in her yard. It seemed that her preparations these days were not in vain.
The traps set in the courtyard have all been stepped on, and the fully equipped guards are fighting desperately.
She quickly encouraged him, saying, "Everyone who kills the thief will be rewarded with 100 taels. For the sake of your own lives, let's fight!"
Fuqiu, Xu Zhao, Chen Ci and others, who were awakened by her voice, also hurried towards her yard.
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